crossroadsintimefandomcom-20200214-history
Julian Mornwell
__TOC__ Julian Mornwell Quick Stats Age: 27 Date of Birth: August 5, 543 H.E. Gender: Male Height 6'1 Weight: 193lbs Character Classification: Commoner Occupation: Owner of the Golden Gander Family Spouse: None Other Relations: *Mathilda Mornwell (Mother) *Maximellius Harvenshire (Father) *Alexi Mornwell (Sibling) *Jaime Mornwell (Sibling) *Miranda Mornwell (Sibling) Player Information Player Name: Ryan Other Characters: None, yet! Overall appearance His dark hair flows with calculated sensuality down to his shoulders, with highlights brightened by the sun. Gentle, full bodied curls make his hair seem thick and lustrous, though also require greater attention to prevent snarls and snags. Now that he no longer has to keep all of the habits that marked him as a trained courtesan, his frame has lost the intensely muscular sheen he worked to keep it in before. While still in shape, he merely works to keep in healthy trim rather than focusing on projecting an attractive appearance. His clothes are no longer the bright, sensual silks of his former life, but simple quality tunic and trews. No longer required to wear cloths to accentuate his body, he prefers to dress modestly. Covering the ‘assets’ he was forced to display in his past allows him to feel the truest form of freedom, control over his own body. His traveling cloak is a muted brown with deep inner pockets for storing things, including several hidden spots to sew money in to hide it from thieves. His color preference is simple blues and greens, though he tends to shift his attire to meet repeat customer’s preferences as an old habit. His nails are elegantly trimmed, a benefit for the occasions when he performs a deep massage on one of his current customers. His hands are slender and soft, but with the firm flexibility of someone used to using their hands. His left wrist has a bangle of wrought silver with a single jade stone in the center, a gift from an old client. Julian’s eyes are a dark blue color, and the left one is just a tiny bit higher than the right one. His face is not very remarkable, and in fact it is not even what would be considered classically handsome. This is a fact he had to work to compensate for in his previous profession, by learning pleasing expressions and how to draw attention to aspects of his body that were easier to control. His skin is well maintained, as was required by his profession, the pores maintained and carefully kept from sun damage, yet tanned just enough to increase the healthy vibrancy. While he no longer keeps up with the many oils and lotions, he actively enjoys sunning himself and thus maintains the vibrancy of his skin. The rich, golden tone that accents his skin highlights his remaining musculature in a not-unpleasing way. General Personality He is restrained, rarely displaying his emotions to others. As a residue of his training, it is in fact quite difficult for him to show his true feelings even when he wants to, though he has begun to relax in the presence of his employees somewhat. He only truly lets his guard down when he is completely sure he is alone, and it is often all the stronger from being suppressed. He is truly a sensitive soul, a fact that made him an excellent courtesan, and has very strong abilities to sympathize with someone else’s problems. He is often excited by simple things. A night home alone, a quiet glass of wine, or an hour alone with his thoughts are more than he had ever dreamed of. Despite his attempts to get out of old habits, he still gets a pleasant thrill at accurately identifying the needs of a customer and assigning the precise employee that can best meet those needs. He is a very private person, as you might gather by the above. Years of keeping things to himself have become so ingrained that it is not a matter of trust, but a matter of habit that is iron clad. He feels inquiries into his personal life are very intrusive, and reacts poorly to attempts to ‘pry’ into his business. He can still summon up civility of course, because it has been trained deep into him to avoid being deliberately rude. Strengths *Able to both read and fake all sorts of body language at a high level. *Intimate knowledge of the human body *Though common, his former profession leaves him with a more detailed view of noble society than outsiders normally possess. Flaws *Unintended arrogance- His education and training often makes him say things that sound like he is talking down to them, as he is more familiar with dealing with the educated crowd. This has occasionally inspired anger or even rage in the other party, even *His time a courtesan has left him seriously unprepared for the life of a free man, and it is often difficult for him to make quick decisions on his own. His previous training relied completely on meeting the needs of others, and he has a hard time coming to a decision when his own welfare is as stake. *Due to long habit of cleanliness he is extremely discomforted by dirt and filth. Even though he enjoys his walks through the streets, should a beggar touch him or if he steps something slimy he is going to get more and more uncomfortable to the point of freaking out until he can get fully clean and in fresh clothing. Likes *Meeting people and making friends on his own terms *Sunlight *Cats *Wandering the City *Music played by someone else *Drawing (he is terrible at it) *Free time *The colors, blue and green *Solitude *Sweet foods Dislikes *Feeling confined *Being treated like an object *The smell of unwashed populace and dirty streets *Loud noises *Rowdy Crowds *Violence *His former ‘clients’ *His parents *Cheap Booze *Boorish behavior Family History His mother, Mathilda Mornwell was born in the lower city of Corus, fifth daughter of a chandler and a cabinetmaker. It wasn’t long before her dark hair and flashing eyes were noticed by the residents of the lower city. A full set of teeth and a healthy glow were enough to set her apart as a beauty among her peers, and she quickly vanished from her parents’ home at the age of seven. They made a token effort to find her, but with four more daughters to feed, they could not afford to look too deeply lest something happen to them as well. Mathilda had been taken from her bed, and had been terrified at first. But when the man gave her a sweet dumpling, she was all smiles and coos as he picked her up and left through the window. By the time he reached a strange, musty building she was convinced it was a wonderful adventure, for he had given her treats and sweets she had only seen once or twice a year before. Before she even noticed where they were going, she was deposited into a warm, straw filled room where several other children of various ages were already sleeping. The man gave her another treat, and patted her head before he left the room. As the door closed, yellow light sprang up from the door and the walls, hurting Mathilda’s eyes before fading to a quiet glow. Staring at the glow, it seemed like a fog came over Mathilda’s mind, making it hard for her to think. Her eyes grew heavy and she fell asleep on the straw floor almost immediately. Unknown to Mathilda, she had been spotted and claimed by the factor of a very powerful woman, Brianna Meadowlark, who had noticed the potential in this young and healthy child. Brianna Meadowlark was a frightening woman, one who not only had the power of the Gift, but a growing fortune as well. She was the behind the scenes owner of dozens of businesses, from inns to brothels. Rumors told of her extending her influence farter and farther into the upper class with each passing year, but of course Mathilda knew none of this. Brianna came personally to look over the children with both her eyes and her Gift, examining them as a Healer would examine their patient, though for much shadier reasons. Several, she discovered, had health problems, and these were quickly removed, never to be seen again. A few others were found to be perfectly healthy, but lacked the potential she was looking for, and these either went to manual labor at her businesses or to the lowest class brothels. Some very few, and Mathilda was not among these, were so pleasing to Brianna that she took them back with her to the facility she operated out of. Mathilda and two other children were found to be adequate, but not amazing, and were taken to a small brothel in one of the better parts of town. Mathilda and the others were at first put to work in the kitchens, and in cleaning up the common room before the business opened. For many of them, born in the lower city, this was paradise, they went to bed full and warm every night and each had their own pallet to sleep on. As the years passed, the girls grew more envious of the ladies upstairs, who wore such pretty gowns and got to sleep in rooms with a real featherbed every night. The ladies were nice and all, and even let the girls play with their cosmetics and taught them how to mix their own. Eventually, Mathilda and the others took their places upstairs, and began truly earning their keep. Mathilda herself became quite popular as she discovered a truly wanton side of herself that she had never guessed at. The glitter of gold drove her to far greater lengths than the other girls, and soon the more adventurous customers were lining up for her. Now, unfortunately for her, the stunts she pulled with these men were so wildly convoluted that occasionally her anti-pregnancy charm would fall off during one of the more athletic maneuvers. Several times, she became pregnant, much to her displeasure and would have tried to lose the babe if the punishments for that were not so severe. Instead, each time she got herself with child she would be ‘retired’ for a few months and brought to an Old Inn where she was forced to work as a serving woman until the child was born. After the luxury she was used to, these times were like hell itself. Luckily, once she popped the brat out and handed it off to Brianna’s people, she was allowed to go back to work. And so she continued for years, working in the upstairs rooms in exchange for an easy life and the occasional present from her more emotional customers. Several more times she became pregnant, and each time she handed off the baby to Brianna’s people without a second glance. Personal History Julian was born in the fall of 543, during a light shower of rain just as the sun set. At birth, his mother gave him into the hands of the minions of Brianna Meadowlark, a woman who was of steadily spreading influence because of all the fingers she had in the game of catering to human vices. He was kept in a crèche of about twenty children, cared for by a group of retired whores and several wet nurses. As children reached the age of seven, they were tested by the strange lady and left the crèche. The children told all sorts of stories as to what happened to those taken, from the horrific to the wondrous. Eventually, Julian was among the oldest left in the crèche and knew that soon they would come for him. He was scared of course, but also excited by the prospect of getting to go on an adventure and leave this place where he had spent his whole life. None of the children were really attached to the crèche, as the women watching them were regularly rotated to prevent them from becoming attached to any one person. The only person the kids looked up to was Lady Brianna, who came to visit every few months and always brought something sweet for the children. The walls were covered in children’s scribbles that they had been excited to show her. Eventually, Julian was tested and he was taken by the Lady Brianna back to a giant house, where he was put into a room with four older children who quickly taught him the rules of this new place. Over the next several years, he and the other children were crammed with the knowledge of deportment, music, debate, and other subjects. Any child who could not keep up with the group quickly vanished. They were trained in all the arts of the finest of courtesans, the arts of conversation and entertainment, the arts of massage and pleasure. They were groomed and trained to have a desperate need to serve those in authority over them, to go to any lengths to ensure the satisfaction of those they answered to. Julian and a young girl were found to have the Gift, and were taught to use it to enhance their other skills. Training under a healer with the Gift, they learned to use their gift to bring relaxation and calm, as well as how to read the body and heal minor bruises and cuts that their more physical activities might cause to their master or mistress. This incredibly increased their potential value, and the Lady Brianna often smiled as she thought of what she could charge for their services. Around his fourteenth birthday, the Lady Brianna had Julian and his fellow ‘students’ summoned to a party she was throwing for some lesser nobles. There, they put their new skills into action for the pride of their mistress, providing massage, music, and light conversation to each dinner guest. By the end of the evening, the Lady Brianna had dozens of requests to ‘borrow’ the young men and women who had served at the party. The girls of course, were easier to place, as a noble man often brought attractive servants into his household with no questions asked. Women, of course, had to be more discreet because standards were different for them. If they wanted a female, it was easy enough to pass them off as a new maid, but attractive male servants had to be incorporated in a way that didn’t besmirch the ladies reputation. Luckily, these boys were young enough to be ‘borrowed’ as pages, which no one really paid much attention to. As they grew older, when then went out on loan they would serve as a manservant, musician, or masseuse that would perform those more obvious functions for the whole household while keeping the more personal services for the master or mistress. Lady Brianna made not only money, but valuable social connections as the years went on. Her courtesans were not merely for carnal needs, but served to help support their masters and mistresses emotional and mental needs as well. Their skills helped people remain more balanced, confident, and relaxed, which in turn helped those people become more successful. With the wars on, shuffling of households became more common as fortunes were made and lost in the chaos. Julian was passed from master to mistress back and forth, and started becoming dissatisfied with his life. The problem with educating him so well was that he was observant enough to see that there were other ways of life, and intelligent enough to question his own. He began to wonder if there was any hope of another life for himself, or if he could live the kind of life he saw in the households he served. Finally, during a period where he was back at Lady Brianna’s helping teach a new crop of younglings she was training, the Lady Brianna had a heart attack and passed away. Knowing he only had a few hours before the vultures fell upon the sight, and knowing that anyone who took her place would be as bad or worse than she had been, he searched her chambers, which he had been in many times. He knew she kept her most valuable jewelry here, and that with them he could start a new life. He knew that she would have hidden her jewels with her Gift, which was actually to his advantage in this case. He closed his eyes, and focused on the feelings he associated with the Lady Brianna. He had been in her presence for the majority of his life, and his Gift should recognize the feel of her magic almost as easily as his own. He opened his eyes and turned to face the wall, feeling the concealed door with his hands, even though his eyes could not register what his hands were feeling. Taking her jewels and fleeing, he resolved to build a life for himself where he could make his own decisions. Unfortunately, he wasn’t very experienced at being responsible for himself, and could not make up his mind as to what he wanted to do. He had the jewels to live off of, but they would not last forever. After much thought, and repeated waffling, the idea came to him for the Golden Gander. He remembered, from his time in the noble households, how much those below them had been jealous of the nobility. He got the idea for a place where people could come to be pampered like nobility even if they did not have the resources to have a full staff of masseurs, musicians, and bath attendants of their own. And he would not require anyone to lay with any man or woman except of their own will. He began the process of constructing the Gander, and contacted several of his former colleges that he knew had been left drifting in the collapse of Brianna’s enterprises. Unfortunately, even by selling off all of the jewels, he did not have enough o complete such an expensive project. (He was cheated on the gems, he didn’t know enough about commerce to avoid getting cheated on the prices) That’s when he was offered a loan by an anonymous source, who merely said that they desired the completion of such a place, and that they would expect repayment in one form or another someday. Distrusting it, but seeing no other real choice at this point, he accepted the loan and finished building the Gander. Now that it is completed, it is prospering, though it is a delicate balance at times between all the expenses and taking care of the staff. He is currently in talks with the staff of the Provost to try and arrange it so they can reward people with trips to the Gander, and in exchange will provide more in the way of protection. He has designed his entire business to give an air of luxury and pampering that many of his customers have not experienced before. A wealthy merchant might be familiar with the sort of rudimentary massage that a common whore could provide, but few had experienced the level of pleasure and relaxation that could be brought about by a trained masseur. He is definitely not averse to making deals on his prices either, especially ones which can help lower his costs elsewhere in his business. For example, he has a standing deal with several seamstresses, trading massages for repair work on the clothing of his staff. He is trying to subsidize his expenses in this fashion, which may grow easier as the Gander grows more popular. Category:Character Page